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Ewain Ó Ciardha
Ewain Ó Ciardha is a knight without allegiance to lord or king, termed a knight-errant by those of knowledge in chivalric terms, born just outside the barony of Evesham. He offers prayer to Ilmater, but though his faith is true, he often puts his duties as a knight before those of the Maimed One. Luckily - to this day - almost every path has seen a binding of both duties and he has yet to choose between them. As a knight, Ewain wields a longsword in his main hand and a tower shield in the other. Adept at horse-riding, the knight-errant owns two horses - Athyn, a warhorse given to him from an unknown benefactor, and Caen from the Frostkeep Stables. Ewain has been working on improving his mounted combat including the use of a spear from horseback. He is a recurring character, slowly achieving fame, having participated in a few more prominent events occurring on the Shores. He has been bestowed the title, ''Hero of Sarwick'', along with a handful of other warriors for succeeding in defending Fort Sarwick from a second orcish horde invasion. Due to the multitude of wounds he suffered as a result of both the battle and crossing into orc territory to rescue captured civiliams, Ewain was left bedridden for months. After returning back to active duty around Fort Sarwick, Ewain was summarily introduced to several new plots, the most recent being the prevention of the Ashfrost Glacier volcano from exploding and the slaying Araathark the White by a collection of warriors including himself. Background Ewain began life as a pauper, born to two slum-dwellers from Eyrbrook. After becoming indentured as a squire to Sir Conall the Courageous, son of Gower and Baron of Evesham, he trained under instruction for several years in the art of chivalry to become a knight. His knighting ceremony occurred after defeating a rival knight during a skirmish just outside the barony, whence he became a part of the Order of the Red Dragon. One of the turning points of his time was during a skirmish against hobgoblins in the Eyrwood This rank as a knight was short-lived. A further ten years saw him ride as part of the Order, but during an inquisition by an invading army, the Order of the Red Dragon was disbanded after Sir Conall and his twenty most trusted knights were murdered without trial for "heresy". The remaining knights went their separate ways, having no lord to pledge allegiance to. Ewain fled the carnage, seeking refuge at the Ilmateri Shrine in which he grew up, before leaving for the Shores to seek out two pilgrims that were closest to being part of his family: Briana and Farrell. He had received a signet ring by courier, belonging to a knight of the Order of the Red Dragon. Curious, Ewain attempted to seek out Briana and Farrell for help. This has led him to discover mention of their names in a book held in the archives of the Temple of the Triad, which state that they were sent to Ashrindale to help the sick during the time of the Red Plague. Having believed them to be dead, a meeting with Farrell outside the grave of Sir Tydus Moorheim led to an unexpected revelation. Ewain learned of the relic once held by the parish in which he grew up and the reason the Farrell and Briana had left Eyrbrook. Farrell was killed by an assassin's crossbow bolt and Ewain, outnumbered greatly, fled back to Ashrindale. He now directs all of his efforts to reclaiming the relic: a sword once used by Saint Penithal, said to be guided by Ilmater's hand. During the course of investigating pathways to reach the orcish territories with Chang, Ewain came across Nina. After initial introductions were out of the way through means of guessing who the halfling was, the three engaged in a battle. Nina was victorious, leaving Chang all but dead and Ewain unconscious... not before stealing some blood from the pair. Ewain - to this day - remains unsure of whether the wound came during or after the battle but feels somewhat indebted to Isilwen Starshade for her help in his recovery. Over time, Ewain became slowly drawn into the events that culminated in the invasion of Bloodfall by monsters of the Northern Wasteland. Although he rode north with Boili Rockmug, the two were quickly involved in preventing a volcanic eruption brought on by the Heart of the Gorgodonth. Their group headed deep into the volcano only to be met by Morgril the Lich and three previously thought dead villains. During the fight, Ewain picked up a shield that once belonged to his old Order, and was handed a weapon by Boili Rockmug for use against the enemies - "Eomurild's Icicle". After the battle, the group escaped but at a heavy price: Boili Rockmug sacrificed himself to ensure that his friends escaped. To this day, Ewain is haunted by the loss of yet another person close to him. These events have only served to make Ewain question his worth as a knight if he cannot protect those whom he calls close friends. The greatest fear he now holds since the battle is if Tinde were to be slain or otherwise taken from him. Involvement The knight-errant is a relatively minor player in the grand scheme of things, although he has been involved in several plot events that have occurred upon the Shores. He was present at the battle at Fort Sarwick, aiding a small handful of warriors in defending the Fort from orcish hordes. Previous to this, he has barely survived an assassination attempt by Talona cultists whilst staying at the Burning Bear Inn in Frostkeep, and was leading a group that managed to prevent assassination of two Lords of Tarloc (although they were later slain). Ewain was later a major figure in preventing the volcanic eruption in the Ashfrost Glacier and the death of Araathark the White, becoming known as one of the Heroes of Ashfrost. Strategy Ewain is a front-line warrior, carrying a mastercrafted Elven longsword and tower shield, backed up by his Hellpit Blade and a dagger strapped to his right shin. Once seen with an ancient Grey Elven blade (Eomurild's Icicle), this was willingly handed over to the Grey Elves as a relic of their race. He is unable to fight at a distance due to poor accuracy with a bow, and inability to cast but the first two levels of paladin spells. With his bestowal of a warhorse, Ewain is now able to fight on horseback with either sword and shield or by using a spear. His defense is lower when using a spear, but his range is increased. His main tactic is simply to charge at enemies in range. When fighting against intelligent humanoid enemies, he has been known to issue a challenge to duel the opponent one-to-one. His magic of choice is to empower his longsword with a blessing, prepare a ritual chant to Ilmater to take care of him should he fall close to death, and jump into the fray. Equipment *'Main Weapon': Mastercrafted Elven Longsword / Hellpit Blade *'Shield': Red Dragon Tower Shield - this shield, curiously found on the Shores of Winter, bears the emblem of the Order of the Red Dragon *'Secondary Weapon': Masterwork Short Spear *'Armour': Masterwork Full Plate Motivations Ewain's motivations are to exhibit both beneficence and attempt to live life in a way to exalt the ideas of honour and bravery. As led by his background, his motivation of beneficence as part of both a chivalric order and a follower of Ilmater ensures that Ewain tries to help others whenever he can. To live life according to honour and bravery means that Ewain will attempt to do the honourable thing in all situations. It is this reason why he issues challenges during combat, does not turn his back on opponents or strike an unarmed foe, for example. Quotes *"The Gods smile on us this day!" *"May Ilmater guide your path and keep you safe from harm." Trivia Friends and Enemies *The knight-errant holds a great deal of affection for Tinde Sallaben, owner of Tricky Tinde's Trinkets. Vanah Serenamus is very quickly becoming his closest friend other than Tinde. *He admires magicians, though holds a small bit of disdain for the barbarians of Bloodfall for their poor strategic choices during battle. *Ewain considers Tinde, Thorwald and Skol to be his closest friends on the Shores. Boili Rockmug also had a rather large place on this list. With Skol's disappearance and Thorwald taking up the mantle of the leader of Bloodfall - and subsequently leading to a fight between the two men - Ewain's list of close friends is falling dramatically. *The knight-errant once held Thorwald Bladestorm as a rival but now despises even hearing the name of a close friend now lost. *He does not fully trust Gilvia Fleetmoon, but has admitted that he was wrong for making a judgement too early. Similarly, he does not trust Rosaline Banick, friend and companion to Gilvia. *Ewain heard about Vanah's dealings with a fiend from Gilvia Fleetmoon, which nearly destroyed his friendship with the sorceress. He did, however, listen and trust her side of the story... *He has recently acquired a paladin's warhorse, Athyn, from an unknown benefactor. A coded note accompanied the animal bearing a signet ring from the Order of the Red Dragon, which concerns him. He has so far been unable to decipher the note. *With the arrival of soldiers from Evesham and companions from the Order, Ewain spends most of his time now in Ashrinhold with his old friends. Hobbies and Interests *Ewain enjoys listening to storytellers, playing cards, jousting and dancing. Despite a low dexterity, he is very much able to perform courtly dances. *His strongest subject during tutelage was the art of strategic warfare, with his weakest being marksmanship. *Ewain's favourite alcoholic beverage on the Shores of Winter is honey mead, although he desperately hopes that meddyglyn will reach Frostkeep. Titles *Hero of Sarwick *Hero of Ashfrost Category: Player Characters